Underground conduit for electric - circuit wires



l (No Model.)

E. A. KITZMILLER.

UNDERGROUND GONDUIT FOR ELEGTRIG CIRCUIT WIRES.

Patented Dee. 6,188I.

N. PETERS. PlwlQ-Lmmgmphw. wnhingmn. D. C.

UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD A. KITZMILLER, 0F HAWKINS STATION, PENNSYLVANIA.

UNDERGROUND GONDUlT FOR ELECTRIC-CIRCUIT WIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 260,548, dated December 6, 1881.

Application tiled August 8, i881. (No model.)

To all uhom. it may concern:

Beitknown thatI,EDWARnA.KiTzMtLLEa, of Hawkins Station,county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered anew and useful Improvement in Underground Conductors for Electric-Circuit Wires; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to thc accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-like ietters indicating like parts- Figure l is a View, partly in elevation and partlyin section, of myimproved underground wire-conductor for electric circuits. Fig; 2 is a sectional view, to an enlarged scale, of portions of two pipe sections or blocks, and of the joint or connection made between them. Fig. 3 is .a perspective view of the parts shown in Fig. 2, the joint case or sleeve being partially broken away. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the joint case or sleeve. Fig. 5 is a perspective view, drawn approximately to the scale of Fig. 1, showing parts of my improved apparatnsillustrative of the manner of laying the same for use, and Figs. 6 and 7 are views of different formsof gaskets'which may be employed.

My present invention relates to means for covering, insulating, and protecting under` ground wires for electric-circuits; and it consists in a new and improved form ot' perforated earthenware or terra-cotta pipes,blocks, or sections, with new and improved means for connecting and mclosing or covering such pipesections to form wire-conductors of any desired ingth, which shall cover, insulate, and pro.

met the inclosed wire or wires, both from outsi-le influences and from in tluences tending to arise from the near presence of a plurality of wires, as hereinaftermore fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, AA A represent perforated blocks or pipe-sections of terracotta or earthenware. These sections are, by preference, made rectangular in cross-section, and the lon` gitndinal perforations a a are also, by preference, arranged in a similar manner. This form and arrangement is preferred as securing both economy o t' space and convenience in handling. They are made of any desired size in section, from-two to three feet in length, and by the usual methods of manufacturing terra-cotta or earthenware. They are, by preference, glazed on ,their inner and outer surfaces by methods commonly practiced. The tubular passages a. may be made by piercing the clay blank while fin the mold with iron rods, as ordinarily practiced in manufacturing tuyeres.

A certain side of each 4block A may he marked, as at s, either in or out of the mold, in any suitable manner, to enable the workmen to put the sections together in the same relationship to each other-that is, the same side 11p-thereby preserving more perfectly the rela tionship of perforations through all the sections, and securing without diculty a practical alignment of perforations throughout. In order,V however, to facilitate the passage of a wire through a succession ot sections or blocks, I ma kc the perforations a with conical, tapering, or bell-mouth ends c', as in Fig. 2, thereby preventing material obstruction of the passages, even though the separate sections or blocks may not be made or put together with accuracy. ll consider this a useful feature of the perforations,owin g to the difficulty of making terra-cotta and similar articles with perfect uniformity, and this is especially true where two or more separate passages or perforations are made through the sections for separate circuit-wires, as in my invention, since one or more lines of perforntions may register properly, while others may vary sufficiently to ohstruct the passage of the wire which is pushed through such lines of perforations, as. hereinafter described. By this simple feature of construction I avoid trouble in introducing the wires arising from slight imperfectionsin alignment of perforations, as stated. A smali enlargement at c' will answer the purpose, however, leaving sufficient thickness of wali for separating the wires at the joints. A swell or enlargement, a2, is also made at either end of each section or block on its outer surface, to facilitate the connection of successive sections. As shown, this enlargement is tapering in form and alike on all sides of the pipe; and while this form is preferred, yet the purpose in view may be secured in part, at least, by various other forms of enlargements-+as bands, lugs, &c., on one or all sides of the sections or blocks..

'lhcjoint or connection is made as follows:

l Two sections or blocks, A A, are put together er substantially as illustrated in Fig. 4. The' n opening throughor interior of the sleeve corzo` responds in form to the section A, having an arca at the ends b slightly in excess of thearea of the end a3 of the section, so that the sleeve may readily be passed over the abutting end a3. Toward ltheoenter b' of t e sleeve its openxA ing is, bypreference, enlarg d, corresponding -substantiallyin form with e enlargements a a, sothat when the sleeve is in place, asin Figs- 2 and 3, an open space of nearly uniform `thickness is provided between thc inner sur- 'zo face of the sleeve and the outer'surfaces ofthe abuttingends of the blocks. In putting these parts together a rubber, felt, or other suitable gasket, c, is' placed between the abutting ends ai. These gaskets may be made to cover the s 5 entire end' of the sections, as in Fig. 6, perforations c' corresponding to the passages a be ing made therein; or th'ey may be made in the ,form of a rim orwasher, as inv Fig. 7, and adapted to pack the enter edges of the joint. They 3o .are designed in part to prevent the inflowA of cement with which the jointis covered, and in partito aiiord an elastic bed into or against which the-ends of the sections may be pressed, thereby securing a' tight joint with a proper alignment of sections AA.- The gasket being .in place, the ends a are pressed together by lany suitable clamping device. The sleeve B is passed .over the joint 'and the enlargements a,

j and the space thus inclosed is filled in anycon `4o .yenient way with some kind oi'. hardening, petvrifyin or indurating cement O.

Various kinds of-hydraulicand othercements4 are well knowmand may be used' for this purpose, which may be applied in a plastic or semi-fluid state, and which intime will become lhard, like stone. In applying such cement the opening at the .ends b of the sleeve may be lnted with clay or closed in other convenient way'to .insure the complete filling of the space 5o Vand prevent waste. When the cement has sniiiciently hardened the clamping device by which the sections A were. pressed together.-

-rnay be removed. Owing to the form of the t .ends of the sections and of the sleeve, the oe- 55- mont will operate as a lock or wedge, binding vthe parte together permanently and securely. In thus putting the sections'together the work of properly arranging or aligning the two tions may be facilitated by running rods '6o through two or more ofthe outer perforations,

'- a, of one section and into the correspondingv perforations' of the other section. When the joint is completed these rods may be removed. 1 Any desired number of sections, A A,may be pnt together in this way', laid in a trench, and wires introduced, as hereinafter described; but whilcsuch a conductor withoutother than earth boxes D, as shown.. also filled with pitch and the coverd' is secured.

covering may serve a useful purpose, e cially .in dry soil, 5 et I prefer to provide E; ther protection, both to exclude moisture and to protect the earthenware-work from injury or accidental breakage. This is done by laying it in a wooden box, D, (see Figs. 1 and 5,)

Iof somewhat larger area in -cross-section than paring the conductor. To this-end boxes D are prepared of proper sizeand of convenient length-,say twelve orsixteen feet, preferably the latter. A suiiicient number of sections A A are then pnt together end to end, as above described, to atiord a unitedlength in excess of the length of box D. These united sections are then' laid in the box with the two endsv protruding the remaining space in the box iilled with pitchy matter E, and cover d secured, as illustrated in Fig. 1. `Iu this way comparatively lon'g lengths of finished conductor are prepared in convenient-aud safe form for shipping and for laying inthe trench. In order to secure complete protection 'for shipping, it

will. be necessary simply to box temporarily the protruding ends of section A. In uniting these lengths iu the tren-ch, (ses Fig. 5,) two protruding ends, a3 a3, are brought in-contact and the joint covered by a sleeve, B, and the parts secured with cement, as above described.

blo to remove a joint to' repair aninjury in any' part of the conductor.' these parted sleeves may beremoved more readily than solid ones, f

and-by thus removing thema length as first' laid in the trench may be removed and rcpiaoed. To inclose the joint' between lengthsv thus made I make use of a short connecting,- box, D', of suitable size to admit the ends of These short boxes D are Ii' desired, the boxes D D' maybe spiked, nailed, or otherwise fastened together at the lap d. Thematerials being prepared at the shop,vas described, such lengths may be laid rapidly and-economically, making by their uniojna` oontinuouscouductor of any 'desired length. It isdesirable, however, tointroduce testingboxes in lines of q this class at convenient intex'vls. Anysuitable known form of testingbox may be employed 'with my invention. .Asl .such devices are known in the art I do not cou-` sider it necessary to describe the same. Such' boxes-may also be made the turnin'gfpoints t for changing the inclination or direction of the line, and they may be inserted at proper intervals for this purpose. They may also be used as stations, from which the wires are inserted endwise through the continuous lines of 'perforations a a, or withdrawn therefrom as required.

If the conductor be laid with care, as above described, wires several hundred feet in length may be inserted and-removed readily. Any suitable apparatus may be used for this purpose. One by which any of the wires of a large number may be removed and inserted without disturbing others will form the sub- Jgact-matter of a separate application for patent y lne.

It is especially important, in conductors for electric power, heating or lighting wires, that the material in close proximity to such wires be of such nature that'it will not be injured by a high degree of heat, and it is equally important that moisnre be excluded from the wires. These desirable results are fully secured by my invention. The adaptation of earthenware for withstanding high degrees of heat is Well understood, and by the meausemployed for uniting and protecting the sections they are rendered excellent non-conductors of electricity as well as moisture.

The locked joint made by the swelled form of sleeve and enlargements on the section ends, as described, is, I consider, an important improvement, and I prefer to employ the same on all the joints; yet many of the advantages of my invention may be secured by employing a plain sleeve, with or without the enlargements, especially for the inner joints ofthe prepared lengths shown in Fig. 1, since, by the stifi'ening or hardening of the pitcby filling E the sections will be held together with considcrable strength, and as the preparation of the parts up to this stage may be made in the shop, they may be handled with the requisite care until secured by the pitch. Also, if a comparative dry and sti cement be employed for lilling the sleeve, and care be exercised in manufactoring the blocks or sections to malke their end faces true and smooth. the gaskets c may beomitted, thongh,for thereasons abovcstated, I prefer to use them, as better results are thereby secured with less expense.

All of the elements employed in my invention may be obtained cheaply'and in any desired quantity, and when combined as described they form a conductor of great durability, andv possessing `advantages very desirable for the purpose for which my invention is designed.

I claim herein as my inventionl. An earthenware block or section, A, having two or more perforations, ct, through the same, such perforationshaving tapering enlargements a at their ends, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

\ 2. In an underground wire-conductor, the combination of perforated earthenware blocks or sections A, having enlargements a2 at their ends on their outer surfaces, sleeves B, adapted in size and form to pass over the enlarged ends of the sections, and having the interior opening swelled or enlarged from the ends toward the center with petrif) ing or indurating illing G, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of perforated sections or blocks of earthenware adapted to receive and inclose separate electrical circuit-wires, gaskets arrangedbetween the abutting ends of the sections, sleeves adapted to pass over and inclose the abutting ends of the sections, and an indurating or hardening cement filling between the sleeves and the inclosed surfaces of the sections, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto` set my hand.

EDWARD A. KITZMILLER. Witnesses:

R. H. WHITTLESEY, 4U. L. PARKER. 

